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How Cities Can Reclaim Their Streets From SUVs

Pickup trucks and large sport-utility vehicles have flooded the streets of U.S. cities, a trend that’s been lethal for pedestrians and bike riders. Here’s what urban leaders could do about it. 

Pickup trucks and SUVs dominate the streets of U.S. cities, a trend that’s been deadly for pedestrians.

Pickup trucks and SUVs dominate the streets of U.S. cities, a trend that’s been deadly for pedestrians.

Photographer: Darren McCollester/Getty Images North America
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American cities have a big problem with huge vehicles.

More than two out of every three new automobiles now sold in the United States are “light trucks,” a classification that includes SUVs, pickup trucks, and minivans. That share is rising as drivers look for vehicles bigger than those already on the road (an arms race that The Onion recently lampooned).